Graduate Liberal Studies

SOCS 636Religion and Politics in the United States

Marc Eisner

Course Description

The United States is, by all
measures, a highly religious nation. Since 1944, the Gallup organization has
asked: "Do you believe in God?" For more than sixty years, the percentage of
the population expressing belief has ranged from 91 and 99 percent (between
two and seven time the level of belief exhibited in most wealthy
democracies). Indeed, it is difficult to understand recent elections without
considering the role of religion in shaping voting behavior. According to a
Pew poll conducted in 2004, 78 percent of evangelical Protestants voted for
Bush. Kerry's support was found among African American Protestants (83
percent support), Latino Catholics (69 percent support), Jews (73 percent
support), and unaffiliated voters (72 percent
support), a category including unaffiliated believers, "seculars,"
agnostics, and atheists. If the Bush administration appears to be beholden
to Evangelical Protestants, it is for a simple reason: they provided 40
percent of his votes. At 26 percent of the population, this group is a core
component of the Republican coalition. In the wake of the 2004 election,
many Democratic strategists openly wondered whether a Democrat could win the
presidency without attracting the support of Evangelical Protestants.

Although public opinion polls are important in interpreting contemporary
politics, one cannot understand the trajectory of American political
development without examining the role of religion. Major events (e.g., the
American Revolution, the Civil War) and reform movements (e.g., the
abolition, suffrage, temperance) were shaped, in part, by waves of revival
that swept the nation. Similarly, the social gospel movement played an
important role in setting the stage for the Progressive Era and New Deal
reform agendas. In the postwar period, the politics surrounding civil
rights, the Vietnam war, women's liberation, gay rights, and abortion were
infused with religion. Often, religion supported contradictory
positions--opponents and advocates of slavery, for example, believed that
they were furthering the cause of Christ--and it is often unclear whether
religion serves as a motivating factor or a justification for otherwise
self-interested actions.

This class will begin with an overview of American religious beliefs
today and their role in politics. We turn, then to an examination of the
role of religion in the evolution of the American state and public policy.
The course concludes with an examination of the role of
religion--Evangelical Protestantism in particular--in the Bush presidency
and the question of whether the Democratic Party can succeed in the
electoral arena without engaging people of faith.

Throughout the course, we will examine the role of religion in politics
through the lens of social science. Thus, it makes sense to say a few words
about what this course is not about. First, this is not a
course in comparative religion. We will not be exploring specific religious
doctrines. We will not be giving "equal time" to each sect. Because our
subject is the political impact of religion in the United States, we will be
concerned with the sects that have had the greatest influence. For example,
when considering the contemporary period, we will unapologetically
concentrate on protestant Christianity rather than Buddhism or Scientology.
Second, although some students may reveal their religious preferences during
this term, this is neither a forum to proselytize nor to denounce other's
religious convictions or lack thereof.

There will be many readings
available on-line. If you cannot access JSTOR, you can go to Blackboard and
download the readings there. They are in pdf format which will require that
you have Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download from
www.adobe.com). Some of the readings may
make biblical references. If you do not own a Bible, there are many online
versions with decent search engines, including
www.bible.com.

Course Requirements

Seminar Presentation (10
percent):Each participant will be required to introduce a set of readings at one
point during the semester. The presentation--not to exceed five
minutes--should provide a brief critique of the readings and identify useful
questions for discussion. It should be accompanied by a set of questions for
discussion (approximately 1 page).

Brief Essays (60 percent):During the course of the term, each participant will be required to
write three brief critical essays on the readings of the week. Essays on a
week's readings are due prior to the class period in which the readings are
discussed. Papers should not exceed 5 pages double spaced and should be
submitted via email (meisner@wesleyan.edu)
as Microsoft Word attachments.

Final Essay (30 percent):The final assignment for the course is an essay addressing the following
question:

In his 1922 book What I Saw in America, G.K. Chesterton noted that
America was "the only nation in the world founded on a creed" and observed
that it was "a nation with the soul of a church." Is this observation
accurate today? How does being a "nation with the soul of a church" impact
on domestic politics and policy? How does it shape our foreign policy and
our understanding of the nation's mission in the international arena?

This paper should not exceed 15 pages double spaced and is due before the
final session. Papers should be submitted via email (meisner@wesleyan.edu)
as Microsoft Word attachments.

John C. Green, Corwin E. Smidt, James L. Guth, and Lyman A. Kellstedt,
"The American Religious Landscape and the 2004 Presidential Vote: Increased
Polarization." Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (February 2005)

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, "Religion & Public Life: A
Faith-Based Partisan Divide." (2005)

J. Albert Harrill, "The Use of the New Testament in the American Slave
Controversy: A Case History in the Hermeneutical Tension between Biblical
Criticism and Christian Moral Debate." Religion and American Culture,
10, 2. (2000): 149-186

October 23

The Response to Industrialism and the Rise of
the Activist State, 1870-1960

Morone, Hellfire Nation, chapters
8-13

October 30

Religion, Politics, and Activism: the 1960s

Morone, Hellfire Nation, chapter 14

Sydney E. Ahlstrom, "The Radical Turn in Theology and Ethics: Why It
Occurred in the 1960's." Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science, 387 (Jan., 1970), pp. 1-13.

Civil Rights

Adam Fairclough, "The Preachers and the People: The Origins and Early
Years of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 1955-1959" Journal
of Southern History 52:3 (August 1986): 403-440

Richard John Neuhaus, "The War, the Churches, and Civil Religion."
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 387
(January 1970), pp. 128-140

James J. Farrell, "Thomas Merton and the Religion of the Bomb."
Religion and American Culture, 5, 1.
(1995): 77-98.

III. Religion and
Contemporary American Politics

November 6

The Culture War and the Rise of the Religious
Right

Fowler et al, Religion and Politics in America, chapter 7

Morone, Hellfire Nation, chapter 15

Phillip E. Hammond, "The Curious Path of Conservative Protestantism."
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 480
(July 1985), pp. 53-62

Ronald E. Hopson and Donald R. Smith, "Changing Fortunes: An Analysis of
Christian Right Ascendance within American Political Discourse." Journal
for the Scientific Study of Religion, 38, 1. (1999): 1-13